Barb wire holding winding and unwinding device



P 1967 v. A. GRAHAM BARB WIRE HOLDING WINDING AND UWINDING DEVICE Filed Aug. 25, 1965 Vincent A. Graham INVENTOR.

United States Patent 7 3,341,149 BARB WIRE HOLDING WINDING AND UNWINDING DEVICE Vincent A. Graham, Rte. 1, Salem, S. Dak. 57058 Filed Aug. 25, 1965, Ser. No. 482,395 4 Claims. (Cl. 242-94) The present invention relates to reeling and winding devices and more particularly, to reel carriers which are suitably designed and constructed to be of assistance in handling a spool or roll of barbed wire fencing and Where, for instance, the task at hand involves either winding or unwinding as the case may be;

When confronted with the problem of unwinding or paying out wire from a ready-to-use spool or roll the average farmer customarily tackles the job manually, that is fastens the free end of the wire to an anchor, inserts a stick or rod through the central portion of the roll and walks backward and unreels it. However, the fence wire handling task has not gone unchallenged and, as persons conversant with the art are aware, many and varied wire handling and carrier devices have been worked out and patented. To give some idea of the state of the art reference can be made, if so desired, to the wire spool handling device in Stoifels Patent 1,648,568. This par ticular patent has been chosen here because, like the subject matter of the invention under advisement, it has to do with a simple frame structure which utilizes facilities whereby the user is greatly assisted in the job of either unwinding and paying out the wire or winding it in to form a roll or spool for subsequent usage.

It may well be pointed out in connection with the foregoing general information that barbed wire fencing is manufactured and sold in spool or reel form and has a suitable axial hole or hub and cruciform heads confining the convolutions of wire and also used to assist one in rolling the reel and wire along the ground surface when unwinding it for fence constructing requirements.

In carrying out the principles of the present invention a novel readily portable frame is provided. This frame is of elongated form and made from round rod stock or tubing which is bent to provide the desired V-shaped or equivalent form and which is then equipped with such added facilities as are deemed to be practical and necessary in propping the frame up on stands for winding purposes, dragging the frame along behind a tractor on wheels or removing the wheels and using the frame as a push-pull type sled.

Briefly summarized, the concept is characterized by the aforementioned elongated sled-like frame which can be converted from a sled to a roll-along vehicle by merely attaching wheels to brackets provided therefor on the sled. In addition the frame is such that simple stands can be applied and removed as desired to elevate the frame when it is employed for wire retrieving or reeling in requirements.

Other objects, features and advantages will become more readily apparent from the following description and views of the illustrative, but not restrictive, drawings.

In the drawing, wherein like numerals are employed to designate like parts throughout the views:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective showing a fragmentary portion of a conventional tractor, an ordinary fence post showing the spool or reel or barbed fencing or wire and, what is more important, showing the device for handling the wire with said device hitched to the tractor.

FIG. 2 is a view in perspective and on an enlarged scale showing the frame by itself, that is, with the wire fencing removed and also showing the attachable and detachable spool mounting axle detached.

FIG. 3 is a view in side elevation which ties in with FIG. 1 and the purpose of which is to emphasize the versa- 3,341,149 Patented Sept. 12, 1967 "ice tile nature of the concept in that the frame lends itself to the usage in connection therewith of either roll-along ground engaging wheels or elevating ground engaging stands, the latter being adapted to be used when the user desires to elevate the frame for reeling the wire in.

FIG. 4 is a detail section on an enlarged scale taken on the plane of line 44 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a view in perspective showing a modified form of the frame with the wire reel omitted.

FIG. 6 is a detail section taken on the 66 of FIG. 3.

Reference will be made first to the components and parts exemplified in FIGS. 1 to 4 inclusive with FIG. 6 included if so desired. More particularly the source of power relied upon insofar as the broad concept is concerned comprises a tractor or any equivalent vehicle 8. The roll or reel of fencing wire is denoted at 10 and in practice it is wound on a rod-type reel which embodies hub means (not detailed) having cruciform reel heads at the ends with the radial components 12 not only serving to package and retain the windings of the barbed wire but to assist one, when desired, in the roll-along unwinding Step1 An anchoring wire 14 is shown here and this in anchored or attached in any suitable manner to a fence post 16 when the unreeling or unwinding step is to be undertaken. The device shown in particular in FIG. 2 is employed for handling and unwinding the wire. This device comprises an elongated frame 18 Which in the form shown is substantially V-shaped in plan. It comprises a length of rigid but bendable rod stock (alternatively, suitable tubing or pipe stock) and wherein the leading 01' vertex end is denoted at 20 and the opposed rearwardly and outwardly diverging side members are denoted at 22.

The leading -or apical end is such that it defines a crotch and a triangulate plate 24 is welded or otherwise fitted into the crotch to provide a suitable hitching plate for a hitch pin 26 connected with coupling means 28 provided therefor on the tractor. The median portions of the side members are rigidified by cross brace 30. The rearward end portions are bowed and shaped to constitute sledplane of the line like runners and these runners may drag along the ground behind the tractor in the manner illustrated in FIG. 1. In addition the rear or trailing end portions of the side members are bent upon themselves as at 32 upwardly and then forwardly to form ring-like members 34. Each member is in turn provided with a centralized cross-strip which may be conveniently referred to as a fixed spider 36 and which has an elongated slot 38 therein. The slots in the respective spiders 36 are lined up with each other to permit the passage of an insertable and removable axle 40 therethrough. The axle is also passed through the hub (not detailed) of the reel part of the spool 10 thus supporting the spool for ground contacting rotation. One end portion of the axle is provided with a stop shoulder 42 and also this end is squared as at 44 to accommodate an attachable and detachable part 46 of a handcrank 48 which is brought into use whenever necessary or desired for winding the wire fencing on the spool or reel in the manner shown for example in FIG. 3. Attention is called to assembling an end thrust washer 50 (FIG. 2) held in place by a cotter key 52.

It is within the purview of the sled concept to also use two other features; namely, elevating and supporting stands and rollers. This is to say a pair of triangular ground engaging stands 54 can be employed and to the ends desired the upper end of the triangle is provided with a bearing 56 in the form of a collar which can be slipped over the mounting pin or stud 58 on each side of the members 22 of the frame 20. The collar as best shown in FIG. 6 is provided with a setscrew 60 which permits the stand to be properly leveled and the setscrew tightened on the stud 58 to achieve the elevating result desired. As suggested this requires the use of the handcrank 48 and has to do with the reeling or winding phase of the concept.

It is also a feature to provide ground engaging wheels or rollers. To accomplish this each side member is provided with a fixed adapter socket 62 having a setscrew 64 to adjusta-bly mount and clamp the shank 66 (FIG. 6) in place. The shank has an appropriate journal for the rubber tired or equivalent roller or wheel 68. These details are brought out in FIG. 6. It follows that the invention pertains to an elongated V-shaped or equivalent frame wherein the forward or leading end has means for hitching the same to a coupling device on a tractor or other power source (not shown). The side members or limbs of the frame are fashioned into runners and hence the frame can be dragged along in a manner to unwind the wire. To accomplish this the spool of wire is mounted on the shaft or rod 40 and the latter is secured in place, passes through 1 the hub of the reel and has floating adjustment in the slots 38 provided in the aforementioned spiders 36. Where the sled idea is desired the wheels 68 can be brought into play. These wheels are accordingly optionally or selectively usable. The same is true of stand 56 which can be applied and held in the manner shown in FIG. 6 when-' ever desired.

The rollers and stands are shown in use in the modified form of the frame illustrated in FIG. 5. With further reference to FIG. 5 it illustrates a so-called wishbone construction insofar as the frame 70 is concerned. The stem 72 has a flattened apertured end portion 74 which takes the place of the aforementioned hitch plate 24. Therefore, the hitch member here is slightly different but is basically the same as the one already described. The limbs or side members are denoted at 76 and the terminal or trailing end portions are denoted at 80 and have bearings 82 for the insertable and removable shaft 84 which is suitably held in place and whose end portions 86 can be used to accommodatingly attach the triangular stands 88 when one desires to employ the same. The handcrank here is denoted at 90. Since the wheels and adapters are the same as already described the same reference numbers are employed here as in FIGS. 2 and 6 for example.

It is evident from the views of the drawing that the sled concept is brought out and satisfactorily illustrated in FIG. 1. When the sled is not used and the rollers or wheels desired they are attached in the manner shown and already described and hence the sled now becomes a roller supported carrier or carriage. When neither the sled nor carriage is in use and one desired to employ the elevating stands these are attached and brought into use in the manner which is believed to be evident upon considering FIGS. 3 and 5. Accordingly, a more extended description of the details is thought to be unnecessary.

It is understood that this invention is not limited to handling barbed wire but can be aptly used for winding 4 and unwinding woven wire. The only variation would be that the illustrations shown in FIGS. 1 and 5 would be extended in width to correspond with the wider width of the woven wire.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A device of the class described comprising an elongated frame made from rod stock and embodying coplanar spaced limbs, the rearward ends of the latter being bent upon themselves and foremd into ring-like members, each ring-like member being provided with a spider, said spider being rigid and centrally slotted, the slots on the respective spiders being aligned with each other to accommodate end portions of an attachable and detachable shaft which serves as a spool supporting and turning axle.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 and wherein said members are provided with sockets, said sockets having setscrews, said sockets constituting adapters for optionally usable attachable and detachable rollers.

3. The structure defined in claim 2 and in combination, attachable and detachable rollers, each roller having a shank, and the shanks of the respective rollers being fitted removably into their respectively cooperable adapter sockets.

4. The structure defined in claim 1 wherein said side members are provided adjacent the rearward trailing ends with diametrically opposite axially aligned outstanding studs, said studs being adapted to mount elevating and supporting stands and, in combination, stands adapted to reside on the ground, said stands being provided at their upper ends with collars and said collars having setscrews being attachable to their respectively usable studs.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 439,720 11/1890 Claunch et a1 24286 X 487,184 11/1892 Harper 24286.5

613,951 11/1898 Woods 24294 1,250,011 12/1917 Reber 24294 2,177,436 10/1939 Lacht 24294 FOREIGN PATENTS 268,137 3/ 1927 Great Britain.

FRANK J. COHEN, Primary Examiner.

N. L. MINTZ, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE OF THE CLASS DESCRIBED COMPRISING AN ELONGATED FRAME MADE FROM ROD STOCK AND EMBODYING COPLANAR SPACED LIMBS, THE REARWARD END OF THE LATTER BEING BENT UPON THEMSELVES AND FORMED INTO RING-LIKE MEMBERS, EACH RING-LIKE MEMBER BEING PROVIDED WITH A SPIDER, SAID SPIDER BEING RIGID AND CENTRALLY SLOTTED, THE SLOTS ON THE RESPECTIVE SPIDERS BEING ALIGNED WITH EACH OTHER TO ACCOMMODATE END PORTIONS OF AN ATTACHABLE AND DETACHABLE SHAFT WHICH SERVES AS A SPOOL SUPPORTING AND TURNING AXLE. 